King Pays Visit To Royal Navy Flagship Ahead Of Her Indo-Pacific Mission

Royal Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales has just been paid a visit by a VIP of the highest possible status: His Majesty The King.

King Charles III flew out to the aircraft carrier in the Channel yesterday (Tuesday) as she continued her preparations for a major global deployment to Japan and the Indo-Pacific this spring.

The King’s visit marked the first time in nearly 40 years that a reigning monarch has visited a Royal Navy warship at sea. 

One of the monarch’s many titles is Honorary Commodore-in-Chief Aircraft Carriers, and it was in this role that he decided to make the trip to meet serving Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel and address the ship’s company.

The King said: “As you prepare to set sail as the flagship of the U.K. Carrier Strike Group (CSG), building on the success of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s inaugural deployment in 2021, I just wanted to express, on behalf of the nation, my heartfelt gratitude for the extraordinarily valuable contributions and personal sacrifices that you and your families continue to make in the name of duty.

"I can sense the anticipation and excitement amongst many of you today for what lies ahead over the next eight months and all I can say is I will be watching your progress with great interest.”

His Majesty toured the 65,000-tonne warship and watched F-35B Lightning jets operating from its flight deck. His visit brought echoes of 1977, when he had flown out in a Buccaneer jet to HMS Ark Royal.

On this occasion the King was accompanied by the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Ben Key, the head of the Royal Navy, and chief of the Royal Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton.

HMS Prince of Wales’ Commanding Officer, Captain Will Blackett, said: “It was a great honour to host His Majesty onboard today. I was able to show him first hand that HMS Prince of Wales is at high readiness, standing by to deliver for the UK when ordered. 

“His visit was a great source of morale for my excellent ship’s company and we look forward to doing him proud in all our endeavours this year.”

In a few weeks' time HMS Prince of Wales will lead the U.K. CSG on a deployment to Japan which will send British warships, support vessels and jets across the world to the Far East.

The flotilla is anticipated to feature Type 23 frigates HMS Iron Duke and HMS Portland, Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless and an Astute-class submarine. And a Royal Norwegian Navy frigate is also expected to be among the ships accompanying the CSG as a symbol of a new defence agreement between the U.K. and Norway.

• You can read more details of the visit on the Royal Navy website